How to repair a thermopot with your own hands

A thermopot is a useful household appliance that was invented not so long ago. It combines the functions of an electric kettle and a thermos, and is in many ways similar to a samovar. On the one hand, it allows you to quickly boil water, on the other, to maintain its temperature for a long time. However, such household appliances need repairs from time to time. If you want to repair the thermo-pot yourself, before starting work, learn as much as possible about how this device works and functions. To do this, just read the instructions attached to the device.

The device and principle of operation of the thermopot

All heating devices are arranged according to the same scheme, they are distinguished only by additional functionality and the material from which they are made. The functional elements of the device are placed in a protective case, therefore, in order to repair the thermopot with your own hands, you will need to remove the case. The liquid is poured into a stainless steel tank, into the bottom of which two heating elements are integrated - heating elements. The first one heats the liquid to boiling water, and the other heating element is needed to maintain the temperature. All cables are equipped with a protective ceramic coating, which prevents the cables from coming into contact with the steel tank.

There is a tubular object (water pump) in the side part. This pump is needed to supply water. In various modifications, the voltage drop across the motor is in the range of 8-24 V.

It is worth noting the electrical board, on which the circuit is installed, which is necessary for secondary boiling. In addition, it is required for voltage conversion. Broken contacts on this board can be repaired by hand by simply using a soldering tool.

In addition to this main board, the device also has a control module. It supports the function of the water supply and reheat keys. Also, indicators are connected to the module, which show in which of the available modes the technician is working at the moment.

In a heating device, the thermostat is of great importance. It is mounted on the bottom or side of the water tank. For situations where the thermostat does not work for some reason, a thermal fuse was created. It excludes the possibility of overheating and breakdown of the thermo-pot when it is accidentally activated with an empty reservoir.

Having found out where all the key elements of the thermopot are located, it becomes much easier to establish the cause of the breakdown and repair the thermopot with your own hands. But it would be more correct to investigate the circuit, to understand all the connections and what parts are to be replaced. In some cases, repairs are impractical, and even specialists do not undertake it.

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Frequent breakdowns of thermopots

Let's consider the most common problems and how to fix them.

1. The indicator panel does not light up and the device does not function at all.In such a situation, it is necessary to inspect all wires and connections, as well as the thermostat and fuse. If there is more than one breakdown, it will be more difficult to repair the device yourself.
2. Only the secondary boil key functions, but the main primary boil is not performed. In such a situation, the thermal switch located in the bottom is checked.
3. The main boiling works, but with the secondary boiling, the thermal pot does not work. It is necessary to inspect the module on the main board.
4. Boiling does not work, only heating is available. Most likely, the heating component burned out, or the wire broke.
5. The water supply does not work. There is a pump malfunction. It is not uncommon for the auxiliary heating coil to burn out, after which no voltage is applied to the motor.

See also - How to repair an electric kettle yourself

Defective thermal pot network cable

The body of the equipment is fixed with screws that need to be unscrewed by removing the plug from the socket in advance. On the inside you will find a plank that needs to be examined carefully. All kinds of burned out components, no doubt, indicate the specific location of the malfunction. The cord is carefully separated from the device and checked with a tester. If the cause of the problem is in the cable, you can quickly replace it yourself.

Microcircuits

There are two electronic modules in a standard thermo-pot:

1. For power supply.
2. For driving.

Both should be visually inspected for swollen capacitors, blown resistors, unusable fuses, torn tracks. Replace damaged elements with new ones, contacts and soldering are restored by tinning.

But first of all, it is necessary to check the presence of fuses and their integrity. If changing a component does not help, and instead the replaced part also burns out, then the fault lies in the electronics, which have failed due to a short circuit.

The resistor value is indicated by colored stripes. A common question is how to find out which side the marking begins and which end.

It is much easier with capacitors - they swell. As a rule, newcomers looking for methods of repairing a thermal sweat are tormented by the question - what does "swell" mean? To understand, it is enough to see a non-working capacitor at least once.

With diodes, it is always more problematic, however, and they break much less often. You just need to separate the component and test it with a tester at both ends to see if it works.

The torn paths of the electronic circuit should be lightly cleaned by removing the varnish layer from them. Then the surface is tinned and covered with solder. It will work just as well as before.

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The pump does not work

The pump pumps water for supply through the tap in manual or automatic mode. The pump is quite simple, it includes a few simple windings that any beginner can figure out. All contacts must be dialed in pairs. Also, a pump removed from the body should be tested by applying a certain voltage to it. The 12 volts needed to test the pump can be obtained from simple batteries or a car battery.

Repair of heating elements of a thermopot

We do not recommend changing metal sheets with terminals for others. Protection against overheating is provided by bimetallic switches. The durability of the device largely depends on the functioning of this element. As a rule, there are more than one thermal switches in the heating element, and one of them controls the characteristics of the liquid, and the second does not allow activation when the tank is empty. In such a situation, the heating element component heats up to a temperature of more than one hundred degrees and breaks the power supply circuit.

To improve the contact of the heating element switches, a special paste is used, similar to the one applied between the fan and the PC processor.

This sensitive component functions quite simply. When the surrounding space warms up to the set temperature, the contacts of the heating element switch open. But as soon as the temperature drops by 15-30 degrees from this point, electrical conductivity resumes. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out what type these elements of the heating element belong to, simply by looking at the instructions for the thermopot. However, the surfaces of the elements are always marked so that the optimum replacement can be selected.

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As a rule, the manufacturer is not satisfied with a simple overheating protection system and equips the equipment with fuses. These are small tubular elements squeezed tightly against the tank wall or glued to it. When the steel tank heats up to a critical temperature, the heater fuse burns out and the device will not work unless it is replaced. That is why the technique should be carefully examined for the presence of such defects.

Also, using a tester, the operability of the bimetallic contact is checked. Before starting the test, the heating element should be evaporated.

When the spirals of the heating components burn out, it is simply unprofitable to repair the equipment. The tank is too complex to disassemble on its own, and the insulation and cables are not cheap enough.

After completing the repair work, the safety of the device should be tested. To this end, the resistance between the plug and the reservoir and between the plug and the outer casing should be determined. In a normal situation, it should be infinite.

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